Prisoner Swap Not Feasible, Olmert Says

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Olmert told a parliamentary committee yesterday the list of prisoners the Palestinian Arabs want freed in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier "creates expectations we cannot meet," a meeting participant said.

Mr. Olmert also told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel had no plans to attack Syria and that the operating hours at the Gaza Strip's only cargo crossing had been significantly expanded — a confidence-building measure intended to improve the peacemaking climate.

The list of prisoners the Palestinian Arabs want freed has not been made public, but various press reports have put the number between 350 and 1,400, including militants convicted of involvement in fatal attacks on Israelis.

Corporal Gilad Shalit, 20, was captured in June, and his continued detention has been a major impediment to peacemaking efforts. Corporal Shalit has not been seen or heard from since his capture, although Israel believes he is alive and being held in the Gaza Strip. Mr. Olmert has not said how many Palestinian Arabs that Israel would be willing to free in exchange for Corporal Shalit.